Abdominal support



F. Z. HUSAR.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORT.

APPLICATION HLED NOV! 20. 1917.

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F. Z. HUSAR.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORT. 'APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. Ian.

1,399,386. Patented Dec. 6,1921.

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PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK Z. HUSAR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

ABDOMINAL SUPPORT.

Application filed November 20, 1917.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Z. HUSAR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Abdominal Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in abdominal supports and has for its object the production of a device of this character, which will aiford an effective support for the abdomen and which will be comfortable in use.

A further object is the production of a device as mentioned, which will be of durable and economical construction and which may be applied or detached with ease and expedition.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an abdominal support embodying the invention,

Fig. 2, a perspective View of the construction shown in Fig. 1, showing the relative position assumed by the parts when the device is in use,

Fig. 3, a rear elevation of one of the rear pads of the device, showing the connection thereof with the rearward end of one of the resilient attaching members of the device,

Fig. 1, a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5, a perspective view of another form of the device,

Fig. 6, a plan view showing the relative position assumed by the parts of the construction illustrated in Fig. 5, when worn, and

Fig. 7, an enlarged section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

One form of the construction as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, comprises a pad 10 preferably of hard rubber which is adapted for engagement with the abdomen of the user, said pad being of slight concave form to adapt the same for snug engagement with the body of the wearer. Said pad is carried by an elongated plate or bar 11, which extends across the front side there- Spec ification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921. Serial No. 202,892.

of, the connection between said bar and pad being such as to permit of free pivotal movement of the said pad about a horizontal axis passing through the points of connection between said pad and bar. The connection between said bar and pad comprises screws 12 which are threaded into spherical enlargements 13, which cooperate with socket- 1 forming plates 14 secured by screws 15 to the outer side of pad 10, said plates having centrally positioned circular openings, as seen, to permit of the partial passage of enlargements 13 therethorugh.

The pad is held in position upon the body of the wearer by means of resilient attach= ing arms 16, which are in the form of blade springs, said members being of a length adapting the same to extend around the sides and snugly embrace the body ofthe wearer. The front ends of attaching members 16 are pivotally connected with the ends of plate 11 by means of hinges 17 The ends of plate 11 are extended beyond the axes of hinges 17 in order to form stops adapted to limit inward swinging of the members 16. Said members 16 may be covered'with a leather casing or housing, as seen, if desired.

Provided at the rearward ends of member 16 are smaller pads 19, which are also so connected with said members as to permit of universal pivotal movement of the same. The connection of said pads with themembers 16 is practically the same as the connection of pad 10 with plate 11, comprising a screw 20 provided at its inner end with a spherical enlargement 21 which cooperates with a plate 22 provided upon the pad. Said plate is provided with a circular opening of a diameter slightly less than that of the enlargement, as clearly seen in Fig. 4, with the result that the pad will be permanently fastened, but at the same time will be permitted free pivotal movement. The rearward ends of attaching members 16 are loosely connected by means of a flexible strap 28, having key-hole slots 24 which are adapted to engage with the outer circumferentially grooved ends of screws 20, as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 4.

By the construction set forth, wherein the pads are arranged so as to permit of free vertical and universal pivotal movement thereof, it is of course apparent that when the device is in use, said pads will readily conform to the curvature or disposition of the surfaces of the body engaged thereby so that, in the movement of the body, said pads will move therewith and thus lend ease and comfort to the wearer. By providing ball and socket connections between the bar 11 and the pad, in the event of springing of said bar through pressure of the resilient attaching arms 16 connected therewith, there will beno binding such as would otherwise result were hinge joints used in connecting said bar and pad. The hinged connection of the resilient attaching members with the plate 1 11 permits of ready application of the'dei the pad 10 has been properly a by means of screws 25, said bar being however slotted in the same manner as the bar 11 of the form first described to allow for the desired shifting of the pad relative to said bar. Inthis form, however, the ends of the bar 11 are secured to the resilient attaching members 16 by means of screws 26, which pass through elon ated slots provided in said bar in order to a ord lateral adjustment of said attaching members. The rearward ends of attaching members 16 are loosely connected by a strap 23 which is adapted for engagement with the circumferentially grooved heads of screws 27 threaded into the rearward ends .of members 16. This form of the device is used in the same manner as above described, the first described form being adapted however to aflord greater ease and comfort to the wearer because of the adjustability of the pad 10 and the employment of additional pivotally adjustable pads at the rearward ends of spring 16. 7

While I have illustrated and described the preferred forms of construction for carrying myinvention into efi'ect these are capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

An abdominal support comprising a pad;

an elongated plate extending horizontally across, the front side of said pad; ball and socket connectionsloosely connecting said pad and plate at a plurality of points so as to permit swinging movement of said pad about only a horizontal axis passing through said ball and socket connections; and attaching means connected with the ends of said plate adapted to embrace the body of the wearer, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses".

FRANK z. HUsAn.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA R. HaPo'r'rs, MILDRED E. ANDERSON. 

